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The editorial points out that this was not the first that the reincarnated avatar of the Razakars, the AIMIM, has invoked slogans that speak of a Muslim-Scheduled Caste alliance. (File)
The editorial in Organiser notes that there were social media posts and opinion articles on the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi being greeted with “Jai Shri Ram” and “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” during the oath-taking in Parliament. But what was not discussed, notes the editorial, is that Owaisi ended his oath by raising slogans, “Jai-Bhim,” “Jai-MIM,” “Takbeer-Allahu Akbar,” and “Jai Hind”. The editorial points out that this was not the first that the reincarnated avatar of the Razakars, the AIMIM, has invoked slogans that speak of a Muslim-Scheduled Caste alliance. It notes that the party’s tactical alliance with Prakash Ambedkar in Maharashtra was part of a grand design. Its outcome, asserts the editorial, was that the SC candidates lost while the MIM candidate won in Aurangabad. The forging of the alliance was not merely a result of immediate electoral considerations, there were ideological reasons behind it, the editorial contends. It further argues that this was not the first attempt to forge a caste-based communal alliance. “To Babasaheb Ambedkar himself, many Muslim clerics, including the representative of Nizam offered not just the alliance but also tried to convince him to convert to Islam. The reply of nationalist Ambedkar was clear and blunt. Jinnah also tried the similar trick, but Dr BR Ambedkar was critical of the so-called Dalit-Muslim unity being fostered in politics today. If it is the likes of Owaisi today, it was Jinnah then,” the editorial argues, and points out that the real followers of Babasaheb will always be sceptical about such an unholy alliance. The editorial asks a few questions: “Now you are saying, ‘Jai-Bhim, Jai-MIM’, in the same order. When you have a problem with Bharat Mata, Vande Mataram in the name of Islam, how will the same Islam allow reverence to Babasaheb? Babasaheb believed in Buddhism as a thought and not just as a religion. Buddha was the greatest spiritual reformist for him. Will MIM consider Tathagat Buddha of the same stature as Babasaheb used to give, or there also Islam will become a problem?”
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Aircraft upgrade
An article in Organiser about the AN-32 aircraft crash demands an inquiry into the incident and calls for corrective measures. It also asks the government to expedite the procurement process for the armed forces. The article argues that that excessive discussion in the media, especially the negative opinions, affects the morale of the air warriors. “We need to wait for the inquiry to be completed… and the effort put in by various agencies in SAR (Search and Rescue) needs to be complimented”. The article points out that the IAF has over 100 AN-32 aircraft of which only 46 have been upgraded. The turmoil in Ukraine, the country that produces these aircraft, is the main reason for the delay in upgrading, the article notes. It adds that upgrading a large number of aircraft is a long-drawn process and it is a moot point whether the aircraft need to be grounded till they are upgraded. The article says that IAF cannot afford to keep over 50 per cent of its workhorse aircraft on the ground, especially when there is an operational requirement of maintaining troops and civil population in the high-altitudes of North/ Northeast India. The article points out that the procurement process in the Ministry of Defence (MoD) makes acquisition/upgradation/modernisation a long-drawn affair.
States and Centre
An editorial in Panchjanya comes out in support of the idea of “one nation, one election”. It argues that the government has shown its resolve on this issue by convening a meeting of political parties and forming a committee to remove confusions. The editorial stresses the need to make the electoral system concise, integrated and connected. It points out that the Lok Sabha and assembly elections had been held simultaneously till 1967 and the Election Commission gave a suggestion to this effect in1983. The editorial says that certain political parties may have the wrong apprehension that the idea of “one nation, one election” could be a conspiracy to impose the President’s rule in the states via the backdoor. “Political parties get such apprehensions… because of their experiences during Congress rule,” the editorial contends. It also contends that there is weight in the argument that national issues can be raised effectively in regions as well if the Lok Sabha and assembly elections are held simultaneously. “Raising national issues gives an opportunity to think and approve decisions like a grand family. Local issues do make their space. When has border security suppressed issues of roads and schools?” the editorial questions. Holding Lok Sabha and assembly elections separately in Bihar and Karnataka cost Rs 9,500 crore. If that money had been spent on hospitals in Bihar, number of deaths of newborns would have been averted, the editorial says in an apparent reference to the deaths of children in Bihar due to Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES).
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https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/view-from-the-right-chimera-of-alliance-5799781/